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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

A. F. PRIEST.

RAIL GLEARER FOR SNOW FLOWS.

No. 326,917. Patent d Sept. 22, 1885.

WITNESSES INVENTOR ATTORNEYS.

N. PETERS. Pholvulhagnrhal. Wa5hingtol. D. c.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

A. F. PRIEST.

RAIL GLEARER FOR SNOW PLOWS. No. 326,917. Patented Sept. 22, 1885.

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I WITNESSES: INVENTOR: fifi M BY ATTORNEYS.

n PETERS. PhohrLilhogmphur, Washington. D.c.

UNiTEn STATES PATENT OEETcE.

AUGUSTUS FRANKLIN PRIEST, OF FORT WVILLIAM, ONTARIO, CANADA.

RAIL-CLEARER FOR SNOW-PLOWS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 326,917, dated September 22, 1885.

(No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, AUGUsTUs FRANKLIN PRIEsT, of Fort William, in the Province of Ontario and Dominion of Canada, have in vented a new and Improved Rail-Clearer for Snow'Plows, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention has for its object to provide rail-clearing devices of improved construction for attachment to railway snowplows for clearing the tops and inner sides of the heads of the rails, so that the car-wheels will take the tracks properly.

The invention consists in the peculiar con struction and arrangement of parts of the track-clearers and their attachments to the snow-plow, whereby they may conform to curves and irregularities of the track, and may be lifted and let down at will by connections extending to the engine-cab, all as hereinafter fully described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a plan view of a locomotive snow-plow with my improved rail-clearers attached. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a front view of the left-hand railclearer, drawn to a larger scale. Fig. 4 is a rear view of the right-hand clearer. Fig. 5is back edge view thereof, and Fig. 6 is a detail plan View of the carrier-roller of one of the rail-clearers.

The letters A A indicate the double moldboard snow-plow plates, which are supported on the locomotive-pilot in any approved way, so as to throw the snow from the railwaytracks to either side, and are slotted, as at a, for the passage of the push-bar B of the engine.

My improved rail-clearers consist, principally, of auxiliary plow plates or dangers supported on a frame-work at each side of the snow-plow, and made right and left handed for attachment to the mold-board plates A A, one over each of the rails C O of the track, as shown clearly in Fig. 1.

A detailed description of one of the rail clearers or flangers will serve for both, as follows:

The letter D indicates a substantial metal frame, which is fitted to slide vertically in ways formed on the outer faces or parts of strong plate-brackets E E, fixed to the moldboard plate A.

The inner side bar of the frame D has a backwardly-extending footpiece, D, and the outer side bar of frame D has a forwardly-extending foot-piece, D", and the ends of the foot-pieces D D are bent upwardand over toward the side bars of the frame, so as to in close the boxes or bushings F F, which are held to the frame by pins or bolts ff, respectively, and in which boxes is journaled by its end gudgeons, g g, the carrier-roller G, which runs over the rail 0, and about at right angles to it as the snow-plows move either Way along the track.

As shown, I bevel the ends ofthe foot-pieces, D D", as at d (P, Fig. 6, so that the gudgeons of the roller G may he slipped diagonally into the foot-pieces,whereupon the boxes F F are set in the foot-pieces around the gudgeons, and the bolts ff then inserted through the footpieces and boxes to hold all to place; but any other approved method of holding the roller G to the frame D may be adopted.

To the outer face of the frame D are fixed or on it are formed the opposite side brackets, H H, the lower ends of which, as shown, are bent forward and upward to form inclosures or seats for the thrust-blocks I 1, respectively, and between these blocks and the outer upturned ends h h of the brackets H H is held, by bolts j, the upper fixed mold-board plate, J, of the clearer, which is formed from boilerplate, and with an outward curve along the top edge, and preferably somewhat under at the outer or back end than at its inner or forward end.

The letter K indicates the lower or main steel clearer-plate or 1nold-b0ard, which is slotted lengthwise, as at k k, a little below its top edge, so that the lower ends, h h, of the brackets H H, may pass through said slots to hang the plate K from the brackets, and so that the plate may have free but limited movement lengthwise both ways on the brackets. The outer faces of the blocks I I are rabbeted at their lower parts, as at t, Fig. 5, to form guideways between the faces of the blocks and the inner face of the upper plate, J, in Which the plate K will be supported to move freely lengthwise when the brackets H H, blocks I I, and the plate J are secured together by the bolts j. The block I, next the forward end of the plate K, has a downward extension behind said plate, as at i, to support the plate at the part where it meets the most resistance when at work, viz: near to or over the inside flange of the rail.

As seen best in Fig. 3, the plate K has a downhanging lip portion, extending from its vertical edge kiwhich edge travelsjust inside the head of the rail O,and said portion 70 curves outward somewhat toward its lower' edge, and the front part of the plate K preferably curves forward from the general plane of the plate, and is rounded from opposite upper and lower edges toward a point at it so it shall pass easier through the snow. The horizontal rear lower edge portion, k, of the plate, behind the vertical edge k travels directly above the head of the rail 0. and the roller G maintains the edge 76* a sufficient height above the rail-say three-eighths of an inch--to prevent the plate K from removing torpedoes from the rail; and for a like purpose, or rather to prevent the vertical edge It" of plate K from tearing the torpedo-clamps from the rail, l journal at the rear face of the plate and in suitable brack et-bearings,ll, fixed thereto, the roller L,which bears against the inner edge of the head of the rail and keeps the edge 70 a proper distance from it, as will readily be understood.

To the head of each frame D is rigidly connected an upright shaft, M, the head of which has a vertically-ranging slot, m, into which a pin, 1, passes through the forward end of a horizontal arm, N, which is fixed to a rockshaft, 0, journaled in bearings P, fixed tothe snow-plow frame or to the engine-pilot; and an arm, Q, fast on shaft 0, extends upward therefrom, and to its upper end is connected a rod, R, which reaches back to the engine cab, so that the engine-driver may, by pulling on rod R by a connected lever or otherwise, lift the frames D D at both sides of the snowplow at once when the plow is about to pass over crossings of the tracks,to lift the clearers above the rails so they escape injury by collision therewith. The slots at in shafts M are preferably about five inches long, so they allow ample vertical play of the frames D D as they ride on the rollers G along the tracks 0, to compensate for inequalities of the heads or joints of the rails, and without rocking the shaft 0, as will readily be understood. The mold-board plates K stand near enough to right angles with the track to allow them to shift lengthwise on the hangers h h in rounding curves of the track either way, and on curves the plate K next the outside rail will be driven back, and the plate K next the inner rail will be held in proper position by the force or resistance of the work it has to do.

It is evident that as the snow-plow moves forward the vertical shoulders k of. plates K will quite clear the snow from the tops and inner sides of the heads of the rails, thereby allowing the treads and flanges of the carwheels to take the track properly.

I show the carrier-rollers G set outside of the mold-board A, which throws the clearerplatcs K J considerably forward; but it may be desirable to arrange the rollers G under the edges of the mold-board A,which may be cut away to allow sufficient vertical play of the parts to lift them above the rails at crossings, as above described, and should the rollers G thus be arranged the platesK J may be placed quite close to the mold-boards A, which at times may be preferred.

The upper plate, J, may be used or not in light snows, as desired; but in heavy snows it protects the lower plate, K, from excessive strains.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A rail-clearer for snow-plows, comprising a plate, K, supported above and across the rail 0 by a vertically-movable frame fitted to slide in ways fixed to the snow-plow,and said plate Kfitted to the frame so as to have independent lateral play across the rail,and means for raising and lowering the frame and plate, substantially as herein set forth.

-2. A rail-clearer for snow-plows, comprising a plate. K, the lower edge of which is formed at is to stand across the head of the rail 0, and at la is" to stand inside and below the top of the rail, and said plate K being supported by a vertically-movable frame fitted to slide in ways fixed to the snow-plow, and said plate being supported so as to have independent lateral play across the rail, and means for raising and lowering the frame and plate, substantially as herein set forth.

3. A rail-clearer for snow-plows,compris ing a plate, K, slotted at k, and shaped at its lower edge at klc k substantially as specified, a frame, D, fitted to slide in ways E E, fixed to the mold-board A, and the hangers h h, held to frame D and passed through the slots 70 of plates K, in combination with a shaft, M, slotted vertically at m, arm N, shaft 0, and means for rocking the shaft to lift the plate, substantially as herein set forth.

4. In a rail-clearer for snow-plows, the combination, with a plate, K, slotted at k and shaped at 70' 7c is substantially as specified, of the frame D, fitted in ways E, fixed to the mold-board A, the bracket hangers H H, fixed to frame D and entering slots 70 of the plate K, the plate J, fixed to the hangers H H, above plate K, and means for raising and lowering the frame D and plates K J, substantially as herein set forth.

5. In arail-cleaner for snow-plows, the combination, with a plate, K, slotted at k and shaped at 70 7c is substantially as specified,

of the frame D, fitted in ways E, fixed on mold-board A, the bracket-hangers H H, fixed to frame D and entering slots 70 of plate K, the plate J, fixed to hangers H H, above plate K, the shaft M, fixed to frame D and slotted at m, and the arm N, shaft 0, and means for rocking shaft 0, substantially as herein set forth.

6. In a rail-cleaner for snow-plows,the com bination, with a plate, K, slotted at k and shaped at 76 If it substantially as specified, of the frame D, fitted in ways E, fixed on mold-board A, the brackethangers H H, fixed to frame D and entering slots is of plate K, the plate J, fixed to hangers H H, above plate K, the shaft M, fixed to frame D and slotted at m, the arm N, shaft Q, and reachrod R, substantially as herein set forth.

7. In a rail-clearer forsnow-plows, the combination, with the plate K, supported above and across the rail 0 by a vertically-movable frame fitted to slide in ways fixed to the snowplow, and said plate K being held to move independently lengthwise in said frame, and being shaped at its lower edge as at 7t k 70, substantially as specified, of a roller, L, journaled on plate K, and adapted to run against the edge of the head of the rail, substantially as herein set forth.

8. In a rail-clearer for snow-plows, the c0m.- bination, with the plate K, supported above and across the rail 0 by a vertically-movable frame, D, fitted to slide in ways fixed to the snowplow, and said plate K having independent lengthwise movement in said frame, of a carrier-roller, G, journaled in the frame I) or brackets thereon and so as to ride on the rail 0, substantially as herein set forth.

9. In a rail-clearer for snow-plows, the combination, with the plate K, supported above and across the rail C by a vertically-movable frame, D, fitted to slide in ways fixed to the snow-plow, and said plate K being shaped at the lower edge as at klfik", and fitted to move lengthwise, substantially as specified, of a roller, G, journaled in the frame D or brackets thereof so as to ride on the rail 0, substantially as herein set forth.

10. In arail-clearer for snow-plows, the combination, with the plate K, supported above and across the rail 0 by a vertically-movable frame fitted to slide in ways fixed to the snowplow, and said plate K being shaped at k Wit and fitted to move independently lengthwise substantially as specified, of a roller, G, journaled in frame D or brackets thereon so as to ride on top of rail 0, and a roller, L, journaled on plate K so as to ride against the edge of the head of the rail, substantially as herein set forth.

ll. Ina rail-clearer for snow-plows, the combination, with the plate K, supported above and across the rail 0 by a vertically-movable frame fitted to slide in ways fixed to the snowplow, and said plate K being shaped at It k is and fitted to move independently lengthwise substantially as specified, of the plate J, fixed to the frame above plate K, and the interposed thrust-blocks I I, and said block I being extended downward, as at i, to stand behind the plate K, substantially as herein set forth.

12. In a rail-clearer for snow-plows, the combination, with the mold-boards A A, of ways E E, fixed thereto, the frames D D, fitted to slide vertically in said ways, the plates K K, supported by frames D D and so as to move independently lengthwise, and formed at their lower edges as at It k k, rollers L L, fitted to plates K K, rollers G G, journaled in frames D D, the plates J J, fixed to said frames, the shafts M M, fixed to frames D D and slotted at m m, the arms N N, shaft 0, arm Q, and reach-rod R, all substantially as herein set forth.

AUGUSTUS FRANKLIN PRIEST. Witnesses:

EDWARD E. LILLIE,

Gno. GLASFORD. 

